UoP's film society aims to draw students to filmmaking

Students studying at University of Pune (UoP) campus are upbeat with the new initiative by university officials. They will soon be treated to screening of contemporary films, as the UoP is all set to start a film society after Diwali vacations at its campus.

Good move: The University of Pune will start screening films at its campus for students after Diwali vacations

The response to the project has been overwhelming what with nearly 150 students already taking annual membership, and according to organisers another 100 students are expected to join the society by the end of this month. The Marathi department of the UoP has taken the lead to run the film society naming it Pune University Campus Film society. The film society has received recognition by Film Federation Society of India (FFSI) and will function under the guidelines of the FFSI.

“We initiated the process to establish a film society at the UoP campus last year and finally, after Diwali vacations, the society will be operational,” said Dr Prabhakar Desai, coordinator of the Pune University Campus Film Society and senior faculty at the Marathi department of the UoP. To begin with the members of the film society will get to watch two films per month along with detail discussions on various artistic and technical aspects of the film.

“The motive behind starting a film society is not just screening films regularly, but we expect that media literacy would be fostered among students with this initiative. That’s why after every screening we will organise discussions with experts, and at times even the director, actor and technicians of the film will be invited to be a part of the dialogue.”

Along with Indian films, which would include Marathi, Hindi, Bengali, and Tamil flicks, members of the society will also get an exposure of world cinema. “Film are such a powerful visual medium that language is never a barrier. In the first month (Dec 2012), along with Shyam Benegal’s ‘Ankur’, we have included Majid Majidi’s ‘Baran’, an excellent Iranian film in our schedule,” said Desai.

The registration fee towards the film society is Rs 150 annually. In the first phase the film society will be restricted to students and faculty of all departments of the UoP. The films will be screened at Namdev auditorium of the UoP. Membership is open to students and for more information students can contact the UoP’s Marathi department on 020-25601342.

Filmmaking as a career As the Marathi film industry is growing since the past few years, the industry is creating many opportunities for youth. “For students pursuing MA-Marathi, entering the film industry can be a good career option. The Marathi film industry is facing an acute shortage of skilled manpower, which includes screenplay writer, scriptwriter. So the film society will definitely benefit students pursuing filmmaking as a career,” said Desai.